A California man was charged with killing his wife while he was out on bail after a previous domestic violence case resulted in him being banned from his family’s home.
Thomas John Iovenitti used a knife to kill Alisha Iovenitti, the mother of his three children, in Concord on Friday, October 23, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.
Thomas, 40, was charged with murder, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, violation of a court order and three counts of child endangerment in connection with Alisha’s death.
He was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon, corporal injury to a spouse and one count of child endangerment in relation to an earlier incident in May, when he was charged in a domestic violence case, according to prosecutors.
Thomas reportedly attacked Alisha, 39, with a knife inside the family’s Concord home in front of their children.
He allegedly destroyed her phone when she tried to call 911, and also stabbed himself, per The Mercury News. Law enforcement was alerted after the three children fled the residence to a neighbor.
Officers who were called to the home forced their way inside and found Alisha and Thomas with stab wounds, the Concord Police Department said in a news release.
Alisha died following attempts to save her life. Thomas was taken to a hospital, where he was initially listed as being in critical condition.
He spent two days in the hospital, per The Mercury News.
Thomas was previously arrested in connection with a May 9 domestic violence incident, prosecutors said. He was initially charged with assault with a deadly weapon and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, corporal injury to a spouse and false imprisonment.
“On May 19th, over the objection of the District Attorney’s Office, a judge set Iovenitti’s bail at $1,000,” the office said in its news release.
Stay-away orders issued by the court banned Thomas from contacting Alisha or visiting his family’s home.
The couple shared a 10-year-old boy and 8-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, according to a charging document obtained by the Contra Costa Herald.
Thomas was due in court for an arraignment on Wednesday, October 28, the district attorney’s office said.
Court records didn’t indicate whether he had retained legal counsel or entered a plea.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
